Conflict of Interest
by Cajun Quinn
Summary: AU semi-slash fic starring two members of the Guild. Different from anything I've ever written. Please r/r if for no reason than the fact that it's unique. Oh and btw, it's finished. There will be no more.
1. Prologue: To Tell the Truth

Conflict of Interest

(NOTE: Another AU story in which none of the things I've established in past stories plays a part. Yes, this is a slash story, but I have succeeded in writing a slash that only goes as far as an R-rating. I'm so proud of myself. LOL. The topic is a risky one, all things considered, but I think it turned out quite well. Of course I'm biased, but ah well. Remy does play a little part in this one. So does Candra the External at one point. But the main characters are the Guilds. It's a unique story. I suggest you read it simply for that reason, even if you're mad at me for not making Remy have a bigger part. Let me know what you think. As usual, they all belong to Marvel, not me and I'm making no money. Flames are used for roasting marshmallows. That is all. Enjoy!) 

Prologue: To Tell the Truth 

Mattie Baptiste woke up in the middle of the night feeling intense sadness and loneliness. These were not her own emotions, but they effected her just the same. She got out of her bed and, after putting on her bathrobe and slippers, crossed to the window, curtained in pale yellow drapes. She gentled pulled the curtains back and looked out at the dark, moonless New Orleans night sky. 

Mattie was a traiteur, a spiritual healer, as well as a powerful empath. Her powers were mostly directed at the people she served, the last remaining members of the New Orleans Thieves and Assassins Guilds, who had been unified into one Guild only a few months. The numbers of the Guilds had diminished considerably in the past ten years, and now only five assassins and seven thieves remained. Mattie was much older than all of them and she mothered them all their lives. She really was the only mother most of them had known, so her bond with them was a deep one. Mattie thought of them all as she looked at the moon and reminded herself that there were actually nine thieves, even though she never felt comfortable placing Minister Tome and Minister Hoard in with the rest of the thieves. 

The feelings of sadness and loneliness twinged at Mattie's consciousness again, and she sighed. She'd known for some time that this moment was coming, but that didn't make it any easier to deal with. She let the curtains go and stepped back away from the window as they fell into place. Lighting a candle and taking it with her, Mattie left her bedroom and walked down the carpeted hallway of the Guild Safehouse, where the five assassins and six of the thieves lived full time. One of the thieves needed her, and she stopped outside his bedroom door, praying that none of the others could hear his crying. Once the prayer was finished, Mattie reached up with her free hand and knocked gently on the door. 

The time had come. 

***** 

Claude Potier heard the knock and sighed. He hadn't realized how loudly he was projecting hs misery and berated himself silently for it. He knew only too well who was outside his room at that hour of the night, and he also knew why she was there. He'd woken her up and now he was going to have to talk to her, because he knew she wouldn't buy any attempt he made at pretending to be asleep. She knew better. 

Wiping the tears off his face, Claude drew in a deep breath and let it out slowly. He sat up on his bed, leaning against the dark red pillows and pulling the matching comforter around him. Then he turned on the bedside lamp and, absently running a hand through his thick brown hair, he quietly called out a reply to the knock at his door. 

"C'min Tante Mattie." 

Mattie opened the door and entered Claude's room, blowing out the candle as she shut the door behind her. She walked across the room to where Claude's bed was and sat down on the edge of it, facing him, sympathy in her dark features. Rather than wait for the thief to start the conversation, Mattie did it herself, knowing that she'd be waiting a long time if she let him do it. 

"You wan' talk 'bout it, chil'?" 

Claude looked down, unable to make eye contact with Mattie, an almost sheepish, ashamed look crossing his chisled face. "No...yes...I don' know..." He replied quietly. 

Mattie chuckled softly at his indecision. "Well, which is it?" 

"I..." Claude stammered, still refusing to look at her. 

Mattie reached up with one hand and placed it under Claude's chin, pulling his head up to look at her with gentle force. He tried to look away, scared of what he might see in her dark brown eyes, but she wouldn't let him. "Claude, look at me." She commanded quietly. 

Claude had no choice but to obey. Mattie was just that type of person. None of the Guild members could blatently ignore a direct order from her. He finally looked at her, allowing her to make eye contact with him even though he wished he didn't have to. She saw in his dark green eyes so much fear, pain, sadness and uncertainty, and it nearly broke her heart. 

"Dis has been botherin' you for quite some time..." Mattie said. "I've felt it from you, surely you knew dat. Why didn' you come talk to me 'bout it?" 

That shameful look crossed Claude's face yet again. "Scared..." He whispered. 

"You don' need to be scared of confidin' in me, chil'. I won' judge you...I've never judged anyone in either Guild. It's not my place to do so. I love you all no matter what. I t'ought you knew dat." 

Claude nodded. "Oui...I know. But dis is diff'rent. You know dat." 

"Yes, it is. But you still needn' be afraid of me." Mattie told him. "I've known 'bout it for a long time, I was jus' waitin' for you to come to me. You never did, an' tonight, your emotions woke me up an' I d'cided it was time to face t'ings head on. Dat's why I'm here." 

"I'm sorry..." 

"Don' be sorry, Claude. You can' help bein' who you are. You are de way de Good Lord made you an' dat's jus' de way it is. You shouldn' deny yourself." 

Claude laughed bitterly. "I shouldn' deny myself, non, but I have to! Ain' got no choice. Tante Mattie for pity's sake, dere's no one in dis whole Guild like me...I've always been one-of-a-kind, an' dis jus' makes it official." 

_"You'd be surprised, my dear thief..."_ Mattie thought wryly. It was true that Claude was unique, even in this aspect, but that didn't mean some of the others hadn't thought of the possibilities. The eleven people living in that safehouse, in such close quarters with each other, had each other to rely on, but yet each of them was very much alone in the world. Only a couple of them had ever known the wonder of true love, and the others could only imagine what they thought it might be like. There were sibling-like bonds between various combinations of thieves and assassins, and they knew that love, as well as the love Mattie felt for them as their mother-figure. Anything else was a mystery. 

"Tante Mattie?" Claude asked. The healer had been silent for quite a few minutes, and he was starting to wonder what she was thinking about. 

"I'm sorry, chil'. I don' s'pose you're willin' to tell dem...? 

Claude's eyes widened. "Non! No way! Dey'd never understand. Not even Theoren, an' he's my best friend..." His voice trailed off as he thought of his friend. Theoren Marceaux was Claude's best friend in the whole world. The two of them had grown up together, along with Henri LeBeau, long-dead son of former Thieves Guild patriarch Jean-Luc LeBeau. "I couldn' tell him...any of dem..." Claude finished lamely, knowing Mattie had caught him. 

_"Aha!"_ Mattie thought triumphantly. Aloud, she said, "It's up to you, of course, Claude. You're a grown man, you're capable of makin' your own d'cisions. But b'fore I leave, let me say two t'ings. First, I am here for you if you need to talk. An' second, it might take a load of stress off you if you tol' even some of dem." Claude started to protest, but Mattie silenced him with a look. "It's jus' a suggestion. Somethin' to t'ink 'bout when you can' sleep at night." 

***** 

A little while later, after Mattie had left him, Claude still sat in his bed, the light still on. He shook his head in amazement. _"How does she do dat...?"_ He thought. _"She t'inks I should tell dem...but..."_

He thought of them all, thieves and assassins alike, and how oblivious they all were to the whole thing and sighed. He was scared to tell them. Scared of being rejected. Scared of getting kicked out of the Guild for being different. Scared of losing everything he had. 

"I can' risk it." He whispered to the lamp before he reached over and turned it out again. He settled down in bed, tears spilling from his eyes for the second time that night. "Dey can' find out...dey jus' can'..." 

To Be Continued 


	2. Part One: What is Normal?

Conflict of Interest   
Part One: What is Normal?

At least once a day everyday for the next two months, Claude thought about what Tante Mattie had suggested that night in his room. None of the other Guild members suspected a thing, as Claude, like them, was very good at hiding things and keeping secrets. That was the main reason why none of them knew years ago. He hid the truth from them and did it very well. The only one who knew anything was out of the ordinary was Tante Mattie, who gave him pointed looks every so often, as if to remind him to talk to her when he needed to. 

Finally one evening he took her up on the offer. 

The Guild had decided over lunch that day to rent some movies. As usual, Claude told the others that whatever they chose would be fine with him. He realized later he should have helped them pick, because when Mercy and Bella Donna came back with the videos, Claude could have cried. They returned with _Moulin Rouge, Armageddon _and _Tango & Cash._

Claude sat through all three movies, thinking the whole time of the irony of the situation. He watched his friends' reactions to the beautiful men and women in the movies and sighed, wishing he was normal. Although he said nothing, Claude was more inclined to agree with the girls in the Guild than the guys. 

As soon as the last movie was over, Claude got up and made his escape, glad to get out of the living room, where the others were getting out the monopoly game. 

"Don' you wan' play, Claude?" Genard asked, seeing him trying to get out of the room. 

"Nah you guys have fun. I'm tired." Claude replied as lightly as he could. "Gon' go keep Tante company for a little while an' den go to bed." 

"Okay..." 

Claude escaped up the stairs and walked down the hall to Tante Mattie's room. The door was open. He knocked lightly on it as he stuck his head in. "Tante Mattie?" 

Mattie was sitting on her bed, leaning against the headboard, rolls of yarn around her. She was knitting a sweater to send up to Remy in New York. "Ah...come in, chil'. Are de movies over?" 

Claude shut the door after he entered the room. "Yeah..." He sat down on the bed and absently rolled up an unrolled ball of yarn. "Why can' I be normal?" 

Mattie shook her head in confusion. "I'm not sure I follow..." 

"Okay tell me somethin' den. Who do you t'ink, in your own opinion as a woman, is better lookin', Nicole Kidman or Kurt Russell?" 

"Nicole Kidman is a beautiful woman, Claude. Ask anyone on de planet wit' eyes an' dey'll tell you de same t'ing. But as a woman, I'd have to pick Kurt Russell. He's a very attractive man. Especailly in dat movie. Why do you ask?" 

Claude sighed. "Like de women downstairs right now, you picked Kurt Russell over Nicole Kidman. An' all de guys were de exact opposite. B'cause dey're normal an' I'm not. I'm jus' glad none of dem asked me my opinion, b'cause dey woulda been surprised by my answer. So I repeat, why can' I be normal?" 

"But you are normal, Claude. You're normal for you. If everybody in de world t'ought an' felt de same way all de time, it would be a very borin' planet to live on. You should not be ashamed for bein' diff'rent den most people. In fact, you should be proud if it." Mattie explained thoughtfully. "I might be Catholic, but I never could figure out why sexual orientation was such a big deal. Not everyone can be de same." 

"Mos' people are, t'ough. Mos' men prefer women an' most women prefer men, but I'm not like dat. An' if I wasn' me an' actually had a normal life instead of bein' in dis Guild maybe it wouldn' be such a big deal." Claude sighed. "But I am in dis Guild an' I don' wan' lose dat. Dat's what makes it so hard...." 

"Chil', would you tell me somethin'?" Mattie asked. 

"If I can..." 

"Dey're your fam'ly...your best friends. Why can' you tell dem? Even if you didn' feel comfortable talkin' to de guys 'bout it, why not de girls? Dey'd more willin' to listen den you might t'ink, y'know." 

"I don' know...Scared dey'll look at me diff'rently I guess. Scared dey'll tell de guys an' I'll end up bein' kicked out." 

Mattie smiled sympathetically at him. "I'm goin' to suggest somethin'. If you don' tell anyone else, tell Mercy. It'll make you feel better to have someone other den me to talk to, an' she might be able to help you more'n I can." 

"Yeah..." 

***** 

Three hours later, as Claude was laying on his bed, thinking about Tante Mattie's suggestion, he heard a knock at his door. Instinctively he knew it was Mercy and he sighed. Somehow, he knew Mattie had told his friend that he wanted to talk to her. _"Tante Mattie...why are you doin' dis to me?"_ He asked her in thought. 

The healer chuckled in response. _"B'cause you won' do it for yourself."_ She replied candidly. _"Now get it over wit' an' tell her b'fore I d'cide to do it for you."_

_"Yes ma'am."_ Claude replied. Aloud he said, "Come on in, Merce." 

Mercy flashed him a bright smile as she shut the door behind her and sat at his desk, her long blonde ponytail swinging over her shoulder. "You missed a great game. Gris-Gris is sulkin' now b'cause Emil beat him." 

"Not in de mood for monopoly..." Claude shrugged. 

Mercy nodded. "So...what's up? Tante Mattie said you have somethin' to get off your chest, but she wouldn' say what it is. It's not bad is it?" 

"Dat d'pends on your definition." Claude said with a slight chuckle. "I'm sure some people 'round here would t'ink it's a bad t'ing...Mercy what do you t'ink is normal?" 

"In what context?" Mercy asked, frowning. "Normal is diff'rent for diff'rent people." 

"Do you b'lieve dat?" Claude pressed. 

"Yes of course. Not everyone can be de same. What's normal for some people isn't normal for others. It d'pends on de people. If you t'ink 'bout it, everythin' we Guild members do is normal for us, but it ain' normal for de majority of de rest of de world. What're you gettin' at, anyway?" 

"I'm sorry, Mercy. Jus'...been hidin' a secret for a long time...an' now Tante Mattie seems to t'ink it's high time I tell someone other dan her. De t'ought of admittin' it scares me...b'cause as far as I can tell it ain' normal." 

"Well why don' you tell me what it is an' let me be de judge of whether I t'ink it's normal or not?" Mercy suggested. 

"..." Claude hesitated. 

"Oh c'mon. It can' be dat bad." Mercy prompted, exasperated. 

"You'd be surprised at how bad it could be." Claude muttered. "To be difficult an' put it as round-about as possible, if I was given de choice of Nicole Kidman an' Kurt Russell, I'd pick Kurt over Nicole anyday. Don' get me wrong, Nicole's a beautiful woman, but..." 

Mercy blinked. "Oh Claude..." She smiled. "Now I can see why you'd hesitate to tell anyone...especially de guys. But it ain' a sin, an' no wonder you were so quiet durin' _Tango & Cash_...I'm sorry..." 

"Don' be sorry Merce. It's a good movie." He raised an eyebrow and laughed. "A very good movie. But you have no idea how weird it is to be a man sittin' in a room wit' a bunch of people watchin' movies an' realize when you listen to dem discussin' how hot diff'rent actors an' actresses are dat you agree more wit' de women dan de men." He sighed. "I can' help bein' de way I am anymore'n Remy can help bein' a mutant...." 

"An' as far as I'm concerned, nothin's changed. You know me, Claude. I've always accepted Remy even t'ough he was diff'rent, even when no one else did...includin' you...an' I don' t'ink any diff'rently 'bout you now dat I know you're gay. To me, you're still de same ol' Claude I grew up wit' an' love like a brother." Mercy assured him. "But you prob'ly should have a little talk wit' Remy..." 

A sad look crossed Claude's face. "I know. He's comin' down in de mornin', ain' he?" 

"Yeah. An' don' worry...I won' spill your secret. It's not my place to tell any of de others 'bout dis. Only you can do dat, when you're ready to. But I'll be here for moral support if you need it, when de time comes for dat, okay?" 

"T'anks Mercy. Not jus' for dat but for everythin'. You don' know what it means to me..." 

"Sure I do." Mercy hugged him and left the room. 

***** 

Early the next morning, Claude got up and headed to the kitchen. None of the others were awake yet, having spent most of the night up playing cards and talking. When Claude arrived in the kitchen, he found Remy already there, sitting at the table across from Tante Mattie, talking over coffee. 

"Mornin'..." Claude said as he walked over to the cupboard and got himself a mug. He poured some coffee and joined them at the table. 

"Good mornin', Claude. Did you sleep well?" Mattie asked. 

"Ehh...not really. Got stuff on my mind...." He replied. "Uh Tante, do you mind if I talk to Remy in private for a few minutes?" 

"Of course, go ahead. I have to get started on de housework anyway." Mattie replied, knowing what it was he wanted to discuss with the Guild patriarch. She gave him an encouraging smile as she left them alone, closing the kitchen door on her way out to give them some peace. 

"Remy..." Claude began. "I...I'm sorry." 

Remy's red-on-black eyes blinked at Claude curiously. "Sorry? What are you talkin' 'bout? You got nothin' to be sorry for Claude." 

"Yes I do." Claude told him. "I've been a huge hypocrite mos' of de time I've known you an' it's time I make t'ings right. Derefore, I'm sorry." 

"Okay, let's say I give in an' agree you got somethin' to be sorry for." Remy said. "What is it you feel you've done wrong dat d'serves to be apologized for?" 

"How 'bout everythin'?" Claude gave a half-hearted smile. "Remy you know yourself how de majority of de Guild shunned you an' treated you like an outsider an' a freak from de moment you came into our lives, jus' b'cause you're a mutant...jus' b'cause you're diff'rent." 

"Yeah, I know. But what's dat got to do wit' anythin'?" 

"I treated you de same way, 'member? For de same reasons. Meanwhile I was denyin' to myself how I was...pretendin' to be like everyone else in de Guild in de hopes dat my own diff'rences would jus' go away if I ignored dem." Claude sighed. "But dey didn', an' I couldn' stop de charade. Still can', really, b'cause I'm scared to. None of us had any right to treat you de way we did, but I especially didn', b'cause I'm diff'rent from dem too. I can' take any of it back, but I wish I could...wish I'd been like Mercy, Henri, Jean-Luc, Tante Mattie, Emil an' Etienne an' stood up for you instead of sidin' wit' everyone else." 

"What are you scared of, Claude? I've never known you to be scared of anyone or anythin' for as long as we've known each other." Remy said. 

"What am I scared of? Heh...how 'bout bein' rejected, bein' kicked outta de Guild, an' bein' treated like you were...?" Claude laughed bitterly. "Mercy knows de truth an' so does Tante Mattie, an' neither of dem feel any diff'rent towards me, but dat ain' sayin' anythin' for de rest of dem..." 

"Claude..." 

"Y'know, I wish it was as simple as me bein' a mutant too...like bein' a telepath or somethin' dat didn' change how I look. But it ain' dat simple." 

"For cryin' out loud, Claude, tell me...what're you so afraid to tell everyone?" Remy demanded. 

"Remy I'm gay." 

"Is dat it?" Remy asked. 

Claude blinked twice and tilted his head. "Uhm yeah...but...Remy...didn' you hear me...?" 

"Oh I heard you. I jus' don' see what de big deal is. Not like you said you've got a life-threatenin' disease or somethin'." Remy elaborated. "I can see why you'd be uncomfortable, bein' in such close quarters wit' everyone here, but it's really not a huge deal. I accept your apology, by de way...now dat I can see why you made it in de first place..." 

Claude sighed with relief. "You don' hate me...?" 

"Of course not." Remy laughed. "But you mus' be goin' nuts 'round here..." 

"Oh jus' a little..." Claude admitted. "It's rather hard to be here wit' dese guys, feelin' de way I do an' not bein' able to do anythin' 'bout it..." 

"Would you if you could?" Curiosity got the better of Remy and he had to ask. 

"Mostly...non." 

"Why not?" 

"Well aside from de obvious reason dat as far as I can tell dey're all straight as arrows, I jus'..." Claude laughed. "Okay. If I went after you, Bella Donna an' Rogue would kill me an' Mercy would help dem. Gris-Gris is jus' too scary for words. Questa's insane an' I have a hard enough time dealin' wit' him as it is. I don' quite know what to make of Fifolet yet, but still. As for Genard an' Emil...dey're my kid brothers. An' Theoren's my best friend. De point I'm makin' is, it wouldn' work out with any of dem for obvious reasons." 

"You like Theoren t'ough, don' you." Remy commented, having picked up on the way Claude's voice changed when he mentioned his best friend. 

"At least Tante Mattie didn' come out an' say dat when she caught de same vibe two months ago." Claude griped. "Yeah I do. How dumb is dat? He's my best friend an' he'd never go for it. I'm outta luck in dat department. But at least no one can stop me from dreamin'." 

***** 

A little while later, after Remy left with Emil and Mercy to go to the mall, Claude was back up in his room, laying on his bed and daydreaming. He was glad Remy hadn't asked him why he didn' know what to make of Fifolet, because truth be told, Theoren wasn't the only one who'd caught Claude's attention, and Claude didn't want to admit it to anyone but himself. It was bad enough both Remy and Tante Mattie had picked up on his feelings for Theoren, but those feelings could easily be suppressed for the sake of keeping his friendship with Theoren firmly in tact. But Fifolet... 

Claude had to be careful and he knew it. Fifolet was a professional assassin, albeit a very handsome one, and could kill Claude in a heartbeat if he felt the desire to do so. That was why Claude didn't want anybody knowing that most of his dreams were of the myserious, long-haired man. The very thought of being with the assassin sent shivers throughout his entire body, and he was powerless to stop them. Usually when he was alone, he didn't bother trying to stop them, instead letting himself feel what he was feeling. Logic dictated that there was a chance his daydreams were as close to the real thing as he was ever going to get, so it made sense to indulge in his fantasies from time to time. It made the day-by-day routine in the safehouse more bearable. 

To Be Continued 


	3. Part Two: Hidden Secrets

Conflict of Interest   
Part Two: Hidden Secrets

Fifolet had spent the entire night and most of the next morning sitting in his room, thinking. He lay on his bed, staring at the ceiling and absently keeping his fingers busy by tracing the pattern on his dark green comforter beside him His long, dark hair was a sharp contrast to the white pillowcase under his head, but Fifolet rarely noticed things like that. He was too busy thinking about more important things. 

"What de hell was dat vibe all 'bout, anyways?" Fifolet asked the ceiling, sounding frustrated and curious at the same time. The previous evening, while the Guild members were watching the movies, Fifolet had picked up some rather curious vibes from Claude. He'd been the only one who'd ntoiced that Claude seemed to be distracted during the movies and spent more time listening to the comments being said by everyone else around him than he did watching the movies. And those facts were curious ones as far as Fifolet was concerned. What was up with that quiet thief anyway? 

Fifolet got the impression Claude was hiding some pretty good secrets beneath his quiet exterior, and he found himself wondering what they were. He'd never really paid much attention to any of the thieves before, and Claude was no exception, but for some reason now Fifolet was paying attention. 

Fifolet had a few hidden secrets of his own, secrets that most of the Guild members had no knowledge of. So far, he had only told Bella Donna and Gris-Gris, and he wasn't entirely anxious to tell any of the others. He had told Bella Donna after she used her telepathy against him and found out most of the truth that way, giving him no choice but to elaborate. That was Bel for you. But she hadn't gotten the truth out of him before Gris-Gris did. Gris was Fifolet's best friend, and Fifolet had confided in the big man late one night when they were alone at the Boudreau mansion, long before the unification of the two Guilds. Gris' reaction was a supportive one, and so was Bel's, but that support didn't make talking about it any easier. 

Unlike Claude, Fifolet had long-ago come to terms with the way he was and accepted it. He questioned it when he was younger, and even had long discussions with Gris-Gris about it while he tried to figure out what was normal and why he didn't seem to fit with what was considered normal for the rest of the world. He had come to the realization that there were probably a lot of people like him in the world, they just didn't know it. That made dealing with it a little easier. 

He flipped over onto his stomach and turned his head, staring at the numbers on his digital clock. The time seemed to be going by so slowly, but yet Fifolet wasn't anxious for it to go any faster. He was still thinking. He'd caught Claude staring at Kurt Russell during _Tango and Cash_ and wondered what it meant. He realized his questions were going to drive him crazy until he actually talked to the thief about it all, but that idea scared him. He hated that it scared him, but he couldn't help it. Talking to Claude about this would mean telling Claude his own secret. And he wasn't sure he was ready for that yet. As the questions kept plaguing his thoughts, Fifolet sighed. He didn't have a choice. 

***** 

Claude was surprised to hear the knock on his bedroom door that afternoon. There weren't many members of the Guild at home just then; most were out doing other things. Not even Tante Mattie was at home. Claude, who was sitting in a chair by the window, reading a Stephen King novel he borrowed from Theoren, wondered just who was coming to visit him and why. 

"C'min." He said, putting his book down and looking at the door. He got the shock of his life when the door opened to reveal Fifolet on the other side. 

Claude's heart skipped two beats and jumped into his throat when he saw the assassin there. He nearly broke out in a cold sweat he was suddenly so nervous, even though he didn't have a real reason to be. He sensed that Fifolet was nervous too, and that knowledge stumpted him. Why would the other man be nervous? And why was he there? 

Fifolet saw the book in Claude's hands and paused on his way into the room. "Oh...I'm botherin' ya...sorry..." He turned to go, silently cursing himself for even thinking he wouldn't be disturbing the thief. 

"No wait it's okay!" Claude blurted out in a rush. "Gettin' a kink in my neck anyway. I could use de break. I said c'min an' I mean it. Have a seat." He motioned to the other chair, situated at his desk, with a smile. _"Oh great...jus' what I needed to do...sound desperate an' forceful...sheesh...!"___

Nodding silently, Fifolet sat down on the chair and looked at Claude, suddenly unsure of what to say. He looked at the book again. "I've read dat one. It's good." He said by way of an icebreaker. 

"Oui, I like it so far. You read a lot of his books?" Claude asked. He had a feeling Fifolet hadn't arrived to discuss Stephen King, but he'd go with it for a minute if it would make his heart stop pounding in his chest. He needed to relax, and he couldn't. 

"Yeah.Own most of 'em. You can borrow some sometime if you want." Fifolet replied. 

"Oh, hey t'anks. Theoren doesn' have very many, an' dis is de last one of dose dat I've read." Claude was grateful and surprised. But he was still curious. "Hey Feef?" 

"Yeah?" Fifolet swallowed. _"Here it comes..."___

Claude looked away, not keen on making eye-contact with his companion. "Somehow I don' t'ink you came here to talk 'bout books...so why did you come?" 

Fifolet took a deep breath and let it out slowly. He absently fiddled with a lock of hair, letting Claude see just how uncertain he really was. "I wanted to talk to you 'bout somethin'..." He began. "You seemed distracted las' night." 

"Yeah...I was..." Claude admitted. "You noticed? I didn' t'ink anyone did..." 

"I noticed." Fifolet confirmed. 

"I jus' had a lot on my mind..." Claude tried to cover up the truth with a half-truth. How on earth could he be expected to discuss everything that was going on in his head and heart with the main object of his affections? The very idea was insane and Claude didn't want to do it. 

Fifolet raised an eyebrow. "A lot on your mind. Yeah okay." 

"Well I do!" Claude exclaimed and then realized his mistake. "I did..." He stammered. 

The other eyebrow joined it's partner half way up Fifolet's forehead. _"Right..."_ He thought and grinned to himself. "I b'lieve you, Claude. Seriously. You had a lot on your mind. An' you still do. Wan' talk 'bout it?" 

"No." Claude's reply was short. 

Fifolet decided to try another tack. "You missed out on quite de discussion last night after de movies t'ough. Questa an' Genard were arguin' over who was better lookin', Nicole Kidman or Liv Tyler, while Singer an' Zoe were debatin' b'tween Ben Affleck an' Kurt Russell." He rolled his eyes. "It was more entertainin' dan de movies. Who would you choose?" 

Claude looked up sharply. "Who would you?" 

"I asked you first." Fifolet grinned. _"Gotcha...but how, exactly...?"___

"I dunno..." Claude muttered. 

"Well, Nicole Kidman an' Liv Tyler got nothin' on Salma Hayek as far as I'm concerned." Fifolet explained. "An' Sylvester Stallone's better den Ben Affleck an' Kurt Russell put together." 

"No he's not!" Claude objected before he could stop himself. His heart sank as he realized what he'd just done, but he tried to focus on Fifolet instead of himself. "But...none of de other guys had opinions like dat..." 

_"You ain' gettin' off dis hook dat easily, mon ami..." _Fifolet thought triumphantly, praying his face didn't betray his fear of admitting what he was about to. "Dat's true." He said. "But I ain' really like dem." 

"Meanin'...what...exactly?" Claude pressed. 

"Meanin' I'm jus' as likely to drool over Sly Stallone as I am over Salma Hayek." Fifolet quipped. "Welcome to de little t'ing I like to call Fifolet's Confusin' Life." 

Claude's eyes widened. "You're..." 

"Oh for cripe's sake Claude. I'm bi, okay. Now, you wan' tell me why you jus' 'bout passed out when you saw Kurt Russell wit' no shirt on in dat movie las' night or do I have to get nasty an' try to beat it out of you?" Fifolet said. 

Claude was astonished at what he'd just learned. _"I don' b'lieve dis! Dere jus' might be a chance after all...mon Dieu...dis is amazin'..." _He thought. To Fifolet he laughed, "Now I gotta figure out which one of us has it worse...I'm kinda wishin' I was you right now...mus' make pretendin' easier...b'cause I have yet to figure out an easy way to hide de fact dat I'm gay..." 

"Easier? Trust me, it don'." Fifolet scoffed. "In one sense, I s'pose it does, but it's real hard not to openly agree wit' Bel when she says she t'inks Sylvester Stallone is hot. Which he is..." 

"I can agree wit' dat. But I personally like Kurt Russell better. Sorry." Claude said. 

"Oh hey, dere's nothin' wrong wit' Kurt, I jus' like Sly better, dat's all." Fifolet admitted. "But I t'ink Zoe needs her eyes checked if she actually t'inks Ben Affleck is as hot as she says he is." 

Claude rolled his eyes. "She...? Oh good lord, I guess so! So...uh...who knows 'bout you...?" 

"I assume Tante Mattie does, but she's never said anythin'. Bel dragged it outta me telepathically, an' I tol' Gris myself a long time ago. He's de one I talk to de mos' 'bout it. He doesn' really understand, of course, but havin' someone to confide in isn't a bad t'ing. How 'bout you?" 

"Tante Mattie, Mercy an' Remy. I wouldn' have told Rem, but I owed him quite a weighty apology an' had to tell him to get him to understand why I was apologizin' to him." Claude said. "Are you afraid to tell de others...? B'cause I am. Scared shitless. I don' want dem to hate me..." 

"Me neither." Fifolet said quietly. He suddenly found himself looking at Claude in a new way. He would never dream of approaching any of the women in the Guild...they were off-limits for more reasons than Fifolet could remember. But he didn't mind. He could never look at them as potential lovers anyway. He'd never been able to look at any of the guys in that way either, for pretty much the same reasons Claude couldn't. But now... 

Claude was different. Claude wasn't exactly like him, but there were similarities that neither one of them had known before. Fifolet smiled to himself in wonder. There was finally someone he could look at in that way, even if nothing ever came of it, and it wouldn't be a bad thing. It wouldn't be wrong. _"It might even be nice..."___

Claude looked at Fifolet. "What're you t'inkin' 'bout?" 

Fifolet glanced at him. "Honestly? You." 

"Oh...uhm..." 

"Is dat okay?" Fifolet asked. 

"Yeah, of course it is. I jus' wasn' expectin' it, dat's all..." 

Fifolet smiled and absently ran a hand through his hair. Claude followed the movement and wished he was the one who was doing that. What did that long, thick hair feel like? Fifolet's dark eyes danced as he caught the look Claude was giving him. 

"It's jus' hair, Claude." He laughed. "But dat look begs de followin' question. You're attracted to me, aren' you?" 

Claude blushed to the roots of his own brown hair and pulled his eyes away from Fifolet. "Yeah..." He whispered. "I didn' wan' let anyone know...'specially you...even now...didn' know how anybody'd react...I mean..." 

"I'm an assassin, you're a thief. I know." Fifolet finished. "I'm t'inkin' de same way. Maybe we should jus' keep dis b'tween us for awhile..." 

"Maybe. Talk to Tante Mattie too...?" 

"Perhaps." Fifolet got up and crossed the room. He stood directly in front of where Claude was sitting and looked down at the thief, a strange look in his eyes. "We shall see what happens." At that moment, the only thing Fifolet wanted to do was kiss the other man. He longed to feel that kind of embrace. Just a simple kiss. It had been so long...but he kept control of himself and made no advance on his friend. 

Instead, he walked out of the room before he did something he might later regret. 

***** 

After Fifolet left, Claude sat in his chair, his book long-forgotten, staring at the door. He could not believe the conversation he and the assassin had just had. It was unbelievable. His dreams were so close to coming true it scared him, but he vowed to himself he wouldn't let his fear win. Whatever happened, happened. He wasn't going to have any expectations, if he could manage it. He didn't want to pressure Fifolet in any way, even though he got the impression from the other man that he wouldn't have minded a little pressure at all. 

The biggest thing to Claude at that moment was the fact that he wasn't alone. Earlier he'd felt like the only person on the planet, or at least in the Guild, who was different. Remy didn't count. But now, he'd learned he wasn't alone. He wasn't the only one. And that made him feel like the richest man in the world. It was going to be awkward and uncertain, but it didn't matter to Claude. 

"Please, dear God...whatever happens...make it worth it..." He whispered as he opened the book and tried to focus on the story. He wasn't very successful, however, with his mind drifting back to Fifolet at every opportunity. He sighed and put the book away, wondering what it was that Fifolet had looked like he so desperately wanted to do. 

***** 

Safely back in his own room with the door closed, Fifolet flopped down on his bed, heart pounding in his chest. He felt strange, like there were a fleet of butterflies doing the macarena in his stomach. He decided it was due to what had just transpired between him and Claude, and also due to the uncertainty of the situation. Had he made the right decision not to kiss Claude even though he wanted to? He thought he had. But that didn't stop him from wanting to run back down the hall to Claude's room and get it over with. 

He chuckled at the thought of what that sight would look like. Him racing into Claude's room, probably full-tilt, hair flying behind him. Unable to breath from running so fast. And for what? A kiss. How crazy would he look to the other man? Insane. So that wasn't an option. At least he still had enough common sense to know when not to make a fool of himself. 

He rolled over and closed his eyes, having decided to take a nap. _"What would it be like...?"_ He thought as he drifted off. 

To Be Continued 


	4. Part Three: The Healer's Advice

Conflict of Interest   
Part Three: The Healer's Advice

Late that night, having decided after supper to talk to Tante Mattie, Claude and Fifolet met outside the traiteur's bedroom door. Getting through supper had be something of a challenge, and both of them had dealt with said challenge by doing and saying nothing. They spoke only if one of the others spoke to them, and made a pointed effort to not look at each other. 

When they arrived outside Tante Mattie's bedroom, they both stopped. They looked at each other hesitantly, mirrored looks of fear, desire and uncertainty in their eyes. Finally, Fifolet spoke. 

"Talkin' to her was your idea. You go first." 

Claude nodded and knocked on the door, his hand shaking. 

Inside the room, Mattie smiled. She made herself comfortable in her rocking chair before asking them to join her. "Come in, bot' of you." When they did so, she smiled warmly at them. "What can I do for you tonight, boys?" 

"Dat d'pends on how much you know..." Claude replied, casting a sideways glance at Fifolet. Claude remembered that Fifolet had not openly told the healer about his sexual orientation, but figured she knew anyway. 

"I know more'n either of you realize. I am an empath, remember?" Mattie chuckled. "Everythin' you feel, I feel." 

"So..." Fifolet began, not looking at either of his two companions. 

"So...don' get me wrong. I've known de truth 'bout bot' of you for years an' you know it. Fifolet, to be honest, I'm glad you finally told someone other den Bella Donna an' Gris-Gris. An' Claude, I'm glad you've told someone other dan me. Neither one of you needs to be afraid of de others..dey will support you an' still love you even if dey don' understand. It will be difficult, of course, but you'll both feel better in de end b'cause of it." Mattie told them. 

"You t'ink we should jus' come out an' tell 'em all?" Fifolet asked. This time he cast a glance at Claude, who was lost in thought and didn't notice. 

"Of course I do. Why wouldn' I? Dey're your fam'ly...de only fam'ly you have. If you can' be honest an' open wit' dem 'bout who you are, den dat's a sad t'ing." Mattie replied. "An' stop lookin' at each other like you t'ink I can' tell what's goin' on." 

"Dere's nothin' goin' on!" The two men replied in unison. 

"Oh sure dere isn'. An' I'm de Queen of Sheba. Listen to me. I want nothin' more den for de two of you to be happy. Dat's not an easy t'ing, given de circumstances, but seein' as you bot' seem to be gettin' so caught up in each other...I noticed you didn' even look at each other durin' supper, which is a sure sign of avoidin' de truth...answer me dis. What harm could experimentin' cause? Why are you bot' so afraid of bein' happy for de first time in your lives?" 

Seeing that neither of them had an answer to either question, Mattie continued. "I do t'ink, b'fore you do any kind of experimentin', you should trust your fam'ly enough to be honest wit' dem. An' after dat, you won' have to be keepin' secrets an' goin' b'hind anybody's backs. You know as well as I do dat de others would appreciate de truth. Dere's no need to keep dem in de dark, jus' as dere's no need to deny yourselves a chance at happiness even if it don' work out. An' it might not, but you'll never know if you don' try. Now dat's all I'm gon' say. De rest is up to you, an' I'm here for you if you need me." 

***** 

They thanked Tante Mattie and made their escape. Neither of them had known she would talk that much and strike so many chords with them. 

"You t'ink she's right?" Claude asked quietly as they walked towards the library. Claude was going there to get another book to read for when he finished the one he was reading, and Fifolet had just joined him, not knowing why. He had always enjoyed going to the library, even if it meant the possibility of running into Minister Hoard and Minister Tome, who spent more time there than anywhere else. Fifolet hated to admit it, but the two thieves from the Antiquary's Clan gave him the creeps. 

"'Bout tellin' de others? Yeah, I do." Fifolet replied. "But dat don' make it any easier to tell 'em." 

"No kiddin'." Claude sighed. "Hey...how did Gris take it when you tol' him? I mean I know he's your best friend an' all, but it must have been a shock to him..." 

"Wonderin' how Theo's gon' take it?" Fifolet asked with a grin. "Dey ain' anywheres close to bein' similar people, Claude. But b'cause you asked, Gris was shocked, oui. But he understood, too. S'ported me from de word go. I've talked to him 'bout it more'n I've talked to myself. De good t'ing 'bout tellin' dem is de fact dat dey're all outside de situation. Dey don' have a clue how to react, but it don' change de fact dat dey care. Real friends are like dat. Y'know who taught me dat?" 

"Non...who?" 

"Marius. I t'ink he might have suspected, but he never confronted me 'bout it. He merely told me one afternoon de secret to real friendship. I've never forgotten it. He was right. Gris coulda killed me for bein' diff'rent, but he didn'. He accepted me instead, and nothin' changed in our friendship." 

"I hope dat's what happens wit' Theo an' me...I'd hate to lose his friendship over my sexuality...I'd hate to lose any of dem, actually..." 

"Somehow I don' t'ink we're gon' lose 'em. Tante Mattie wouldn' have been so sure of sayin' what she said if she t'ought maybe we would." Fifolet commented. 

"Yeah..." 

Fifolet waited while Claude searched the library shelves for a book he hadn't read already. It was silent in the huge room, as befitting a true library, and surprisingly they were the only ones there. The walls were lined with floor-to-ceiling shelves filled with books. Fifolet guessed there must be over a thousand books in that one room. At the center of the room was a long, rectangular table, surrounded by chairs. There were desks too, and a computer setup that wasn't nearly as elaborate as the one Emil and Theoren used in the safehouse. Fifolet wasn't interested in any of that, though. His attention was focused entirely on Claude while the other man looked for a book. 

Suddenly overcome by that same urge that had nearly been his undoing earlier in the day, Fifolet tilted his head and interrupted Claude's search. "I don' care what Tante Mattie said, y'know what we should do b'fore we tell everyone?" 

Claude straightned up and turned to face his friend. "What's dat?" 

"Dis." Fifolet grinned. Before Claude had time to react, Fifolet crossed the space between them and had him pinned against the wall. Claude's breath caught in his throat as he realized what was going to come next but he didn't struggle. He admitted to himself he was just as curious as Fifolet and let it happen. 

Fifolet leaned in and gently brushed his lips against Claude's in a soft embrace. The kiss, which was over fairly quickly, was sweet and thrilling, but neither one of them pushed it. It was still too soon. 

"Dere we go." Fifolet smiled as he stepped back again. "Now maybe my curiosity won' be drivin' me nuts for awhile..." 

Claude stared at him, his pulse racing. "Uhm...yeah..." He stammered before turning back to the shelf and picking out a novel from the vast selection. _"Holy...oh man...hell Feef...can you do dat 'gain...only slower next time?" _Claude almost laughed out loud at the thoughts that went through his head, but he managed not to. They had ignored one of the things Tante Mattie had advised them to do, but he didn't care. He had a feeling, however, that they just made things simpler and more complicated at the same time. Just with one little kiss. 

***** 

In her bedroom, Tante Mattie shook her head. "I knew dose two would end up doin' somethin' like dat..." She complained to the darkness. "But I can' really say I blame dem. Dey're under a lot of stress, an' dey're bot' more confused den dey're willin' to admit. An' I know dey're smart enough to take t'ings one step at a time. B'sides, one kiss ain' gon' hurt anythin'." 

To Be Continued 


	5. Part Four: Out in the Open

Conflict of Interest   
Part Four: Out in the Open

Claude and Fifolet waited for two days before either one screwed up enough courage to tell the rest of the Guild members their secrets. Claude suggested they each tell their respective Guild first, and then let things go from there. Fifolet agreed with him, thinking it would be a lot easier to be honest with people they'd known and trusted all their lives. 

"If you need any help tellin' 'em, let me know..." Fifolet offered before they split up to talk to their respective families. 

Claude frowned. "What do you mean...?" 

"I only got to deal wit' Singer an' Questa, both of whom are pretty easy-goin' an' hard to rattle. I'm not expectin' dis is gon' take much effort or time on my part. You, on de other hand..." Fifolet elaborated. 

"Hmm...yeah good point. But y'know, I t'ink wit' Remy an' Mercy already knowin', an' Tante Mattie within' yellin' distance if t'ings get weird...I'll be okay." Claude told him. "But t'anks. I 'preciate de offer." 

"No problem. Good luck."  
  
  
"You too." Claude replied before heading to the library, where he had asked the rest of the thieves to meet him. 

Fifolet watched Claude walk away and silently prayed the thieves took Claude's news as well as he knew the assassins were going to take his own news. 

***** 

_"You're gon' tell dem, ain' you?" _Bella Donna's voice resonated in Fifolet's mind as he entered the living room of the safehouse. 

_"Yep. An' I ain' de only one tellin' secrets 'round here today either."_ Fifolet thought back, smiling at them. 

_"Claude...?" _Bel pressed. She had guessed for quite some time that the quiet thief was hiding some kind of secret, but she never could figure out just exactly what it was. He kept his mind blocked from any intrusion she could try. 

_"Yeah...now hush." _Fifolet raised an eyebrow. Aloud, he said, "As ironic an' somewhat foolish as dis is, two of you already know what I'm gon' say in a few minutes, but two of you don'. I don' know why I didn' tell all of you...no. Dat's a lie. I do know." He looked at Singer and Questa. "Actually, if Bel wasn' telepathic, she wouldn' know either, so I guess you two are in good company. As for why I only wanted to tell Gris...honestly, I was scared. Not of you guys, but of how it would effect t'ings..." 

"Uh Feef?" Questa's dark blue eyes questioned. Fifolet remembered that Questa didn't have the best attention span in the world and laughed. 

"Sorry, Q. I'm not tryin' to confuse you, really. De truth of de matter is, I'm bi. I've known for a long time...an' Gris' know almost as long as I have. I'm sorry I didn' tell you..." 

"So tell me somethin' den..." Singer asked, her fine, dark eyebrows raising above the dark glasses she always wore. "Why were you scared of dat fact changin' t'ings? I mean, I don' know much 'bout dis, but it seems to me nothin's gon' change. Nothin' changed b'tween you an' Gris an' Bel, so why would Questa an' I be any diff'rent?" 

"I don' know." Fifolet sighed in exasperation. "I really don'. I'm sorry..." 

"Don' be." Questa grinned. "Hell man, if you've know dis for years an' t'ings went smoothly all dat time, I ain' worried. Don' you be." 

"So we're still cool?" Fifolet asked. 

"As cucumbers." Singer laughed. 

Fifolet sighed with relief even though he knew his friends would be okay with the whole idea. He wondered how things were going for Claude in the library. He had a feeling telling the thieves wasn't as easy a thing as telling the assassins. Their relationships were much closer, their bonds much stronger, due to the life they'd led together before the unification. The idea that one of their own was gay might be a huge blow to their collective egos. 

***** 

"Claude." Mercy caught up with her friend in the hall outside the library. She was the last to arrive because it was her turn to help Tante Mattie with the dishes. The second he had called the meeting, Mercy knew what he wanted to talk to them about, and was determined to be there for him. 

Claude turned and smiled nervously at Mercy. "Hey." 

"Remy had to go back to Westchester." Mercy told him. "So you just got me for support...you sure you're ready to do dis?" 

"Been hidin' it for years, Merce. An' de way t'ings are goin'...if I don' do it now, it could be a disaster." 

Mercy tilted her head curiously, her blond ponytail swinging to one side. "I won' ask you what you mean by dat, but as long as you're ready, let's go." 

Together, the two friends walked into the library, where the other four thieves were sitting around the table in the center, waiting. Claude looked at them and suddenly wished he was on the moon, away from them. Zoe, being a woman, would probably react the way Mercy did. It didn't effect either of them very much that one of their guy friends was gay. But Theoren, Genard and Emil...it scared Claude to the core of his soul to think of how they'd react. 

Claude looked at Mercy, fear showing plainly in his green eyes. "You wan' tell dem for me?" He asked hopefully. "I'll pay you." 

Mercy merely raised and eyebrow, shook her head and sat down at the table with the others. "Dis is your show, Claude. You called de meetin', you' d'cided now was de time to do dis, so I can' do it for you." She told him. 

Claude chuckled nervously. "Yeah but right now I feel like a trapeze artist who's never performed before and gets to the top of de platform an' suddenly realizes he's afraid of heights." 

"Whatever it is, Claude, jus' tell us. It can' be dat bad." Emil said supportively. 

"You'd be surprised, Red." Claude replied. He looked directly at Theoren, Genard and Emil. "An' whether or not it's bad d'pends entirely on de three of you. I already know what Mercy t'inks, an' I'm pretty sure Zoe's gon' have a similar opinion, b'cause it's de type of t'ing dat comin' from me don' bother dem too much. It's you three I'm worried 'bout. An' I ain' scared to admit dat." 

"Claude would you jus'...?" Theoren was getting exasperated. 

"De t'ing is, I've been keepin' a nice little secret from all of you for a very, very long time. Tante Mattie knew, but she didn' press me 'bout it until a couple of months ago an' since den I've started to realize, mostly t'anks to her, dat I really should jus' be honest wit' you guys an' stop givin' myself an ulcer." Claude explained. "De reason I didn' tell any of you b'fore was b'cause I was scared." 

"Scared of what?" Zoe asked quietly. 

"De reaction dis is gon' get." Claude quipped. "But I was scared of rejection, of gettin' kicked outta de Guild for bein' who I am...essentially I was scared of losin' everythin' I had. Still am, actually. De second I say de words, dis whole situation is outta my hands an' I won' be able to take any of it back. Dat's why I said it all d'pends on you guys." 

"Claude, just say it." Mercy said. 

Claude bit his lip and took a deep breath. Inside his head, he heard Tante Mattie's voice. _"You can do it, chil'. Mercy an' I b'lieve in you an' so does Fifolet."_ That did it. Letting out the breath he hadn't realized he was holding, Claude came out with the truth, the words hanging in the air in the center of the table. 

"Guys...I'm gay." 

Emil was the first to react. He smiled at Claude. "Okay. An' here I t'ought de world was endin' or somethin'. Can I go back to bed now?" 

"No...dat's all you have to say?" Claude wasn't really surprised that the red-haired young man accepted the truth without question. Emil was Remy's best friend, after all, and had stood by Remy through thick and thin since they were ten years old. Emil was one of those rare and wonderful people who knew that what was on the inside was what really mattered, and things like race, religion, sexual orientation and whatnot were trivial, surface things. 

"Well for cryin' out loud, Claude, what do you want me to say? You're gay. Big deal...you're still you. It doesn' change nothin'." Emil griped. "Unless you want me to be mad or somethin'..." 

"No, dat's okay." 

"I'm wit' Lapin." Genard said in his typical quiet voice, his brown eyes throughtful behind his glasses. "If you've known dis for years an' it didn' effect our relationships in all dat time when we didn' know, why would it effect us now?" 

"T'anks. De t'ing is, I value all of your friendships way too much to let dis effect us. I would never let it get in b'tween any of us...hell if it ever did, I'd resign from de Guild immediately. Dat's how strongly I feel 'bout keepin' t'ings okay b'tween all of us." Claude was grateful to have the support of his two pseudo little brothers. The real test was about to come. 

Theoren had sat in stunned silence in the minutes following Claude's announcement. That silence continued as he felt all eyes in the room turn to look at him. His mind racing, Theo wasn't ready to react yet. He could feel how worried and scared Claude was, but that wasn't what he was looking for. He knew it would hurt his friend, but he did the only thing he could do. He got up and walked out of the room, without saying a word. 

"Claude..." Zoe said softly, putting a hand on his arm. "He's just shocked. Go after him. Talk to him in private. Maybe that's what you and he need." 

Claude looked down at her with a sad smile. "Somehow...I don' t'ink dat's gon' solve anythin'...but I gotta try..." 

***** 

Claude went after his best friend, somehow knowing where to look. Sure enough, when he got there, he found Theoren standing on the back step of the safehouse, leaning against the railing, his shadow cast on the deck by the bright morning sunshine. Silently, Claude stepped out onto the deck and joined his friend. 

"Theoren..." 

"How could you not tell us...tell me an' Henri at any rate..." Theo's voice was low and bitter. He didn't try to hide his anger and hurt over the whole thing. "Nice to know you trust your best friends, Claude." 

Tears welled up in Claude's eyes and he hung his head, ashamed. He couldn't argue with his friend's logic, much as he wanted to. "I'm sorry..." 

"Do you t'ink bein' sorry's gon' make up for de fact dat you lied to us all for years...an' 'bout somethin' like dat?!" Theoren demanded, whirling on Claude. "Henri an' I trusted you wit' every secret we ever had, no matter how big or how small, an' you couldn' do de same for us...how is dat s'posed to make me feel, huh? I'm jus' glad Henri's not here to witness dis. I'm sure he's turnin' over in his grave right 'bout now." 

Claude made no effort to hide or stop his tears. "I'm not perfect, okay. I make mistakes jus' like everyone else. An' maybe de biggest mistake I ever made was listenin' to my father de night de assassins massacred my entire family. He told me to run an' hide. I did. Maybe I shouldn' have. Maybe if I hadn' listened to him I'd be dead now an' you'd all be better off." 

With that pained statement, Claude turned and left, fleeing back into the safety of the house. He didn't see Tante Mattie in the kitchen; he'd had no idea she'd listened to the conversation. He raced up the stairs and into his bedroom, shutting and locking the door behind him. Sobbing, he collapsed on his bed, curling up into a fetal position and crying as if his heart was breaking. 

Tante Mattie joined Theoren on the back deck. "Jus' what do you t'ink gives you de right to treat him like dat?" She asked. 

Theoren looked at her. "He lied to us." 

"Weren' you listen' to him in de library? He didn' tell anybody...not even me...didn' confide in a single soul...b'cause he was scared to death of gettin' a reaction like de one you jus' gave him." Mattie chided. "De others can accept it, an' I'm pretty sure Henri would if he was here. Why can' you?" 

"I don' know, I jus' can'..." 

"Maybe you should take a lesson from Gris-Gris." Mattie suggested. 

"What?" Theoren was stumped. "What's he got to do wit' dis?" 

"Fifolet is bi-sexual. Gris was de first person Fifolet told, an' instead of rejectin' his best friend the way many of the assassins would have done, Gris accepted him, supported him an' b'came de soundin' board he needed when he got confused an' scared 'bout t'ings." Mattie explained. "Claude needs you to be dere for him de way Gris has always been dere for Fifolet." 

"Feef's bi...?" Theoren raised an eyebrow. "Why does dat information make me t'ink t'ings are gon' get real interestin' 'round here from now on?" 

"Well you're not wrong dere." Mattie laughed. "But dat's partly why both of dem d'cided to get deir secrets out in the open now. So dey wouldn' have to hide anythin' dat might happen b'tween dem from de rest of you. Dey bot' wan' be open 'bout it an' de last t'ing dey wan' do is go b'hind anybody's backs." 

"I t'ink maybe I overreacted..." Theo said quietly. "He prob'ly don' wan' seem me right now, but I owe him an apology when he comes back down." 

***** 

"Claude?" Fifolet called into Claude's bedroom from the hallway. 

"Go 'way." Claude's muffled voice drifted back to Fifolet's ears. It sounded like the thief was crying, but he couldn't be sure. Either way, Fifolet wanted to know what was going on. 

"No. What happened? Are you okay?" Fifolet pressed. 

"I don' know." Claude replied. 

Fifolet tried the doorknob. Locked. Shaking his head, he wondered when the thieves were going to learn that a locked door did nothing to stop him. He kicked his powers into gear and became intangible, walking through the door like a ghost before returning to normal. "You should know by now I can walk t'rough doors." He joked. Then he saw Claude, curled up on the bed, crying, and the smile that had started to play on his face vanished in half a second. 

He crossed the room in one stride and sat on the edge of Claude's bed, his dark brown eyes filled with concern. He put a gentle hand on Claude's shoulder. "Hey...what is it? What happened...?" 

Claude shook his head, sniffling, trying to tell Fifolet without words that he didn't want to talk about it, but Fifolet didn't buy it. He suddenly found himself being lifted to a sitting position. He tried to struggle, but failed. Fifolet was stronger, after all. He soon found a pair of warm, strong arms wrapped around him, holding him. He took solace in the strength in Fifolet's arms and leaned against the other man, tired and heart-broken. 

Fifolet held Claude there for what seemed like a very long time, not saying a word. He knew whatever had hurt Claude was big, and that his friend needed time to regroup before he could talk about it. He was willing to sit there for a year if that's what it took. He just hoped Claude knew that. 

When Claude had finally stopped crying, he looked at Fifolet. "It mostly went okay..." 

"Let me guess. Theoren." 

Tears welled up again in Claude's eyes. "Uh-huh..." 

"Hey. Your news prob'ly shocked him senseless. But it's somethin' you have to work out, together. You guys are best friends. I know you're both smart. Dis isn' somethin' dat should come b'tween you, no matter what was said a little while ago. If he doesn' wan' lose you as a friend, he'll stop bein' mad sooner den you might t'ink." 

"I hope you're right..." Claude whispered, leaning against Fifolet again, feeling safer and more comfortable than he'd ever felt in his life. "Do me a favor?" 

"Sure." 

"Stay here for awhile?" 

Fifolet laughed softly. "Wasn' plannin' on goin' anywhere until you kicked me out. Don' worry." 

"T'anks..." 

To Be Continued 


	6. Part Five: Reconciliation

Conflict of Interest   
Part Five: Reconciliation

"Claude can I talk to you?" Theoren asked. He had left his friend in peace for the duration of the day, having figured out the other thief wasn't alone when he couldn't find Fifolet anywhere. But now it was suppertime, and both Fifolet and Claude were walking down to the kitchen together. The two men had spent the afternoon talking about life, discussing Stephen King novels and playing card games. 

Fifolet looked at Claude questioningly, wondering what the answer would be. Claude shrugged, remembering what Fifolet had told him earlier. 

"Sure. Feef, you go on, we'll catch up. Tell ev'ryone not to wait if we're late." 

Fifolet hesitated. "You sure?" 

"Yeah I'm sure. Go on." Claude assured him. 

Giving Theoren a look that plainly said _"You make him cry 'gain an' I'll rip your heart out, y'hear?" _Fifolet nodded and continued down to the main floor of the safehouse. 

Deciding to save the relationship talk until after the apology was out of the way, Theoren sighed and shuffled his feet a little. "Been doin' a lotta t'inkin' today..." 

"Oh?" Claude asked lightly, not wishing to betray how hurt he still was by Theoren's treatment of him. 

"Yeah. Seems I opened my mouth an' stuck bot' feet in up to my knees. I overreacted, an' I'm sorry. I was wrong to say de t'ings I did to you. Bein' shocked, hurt an' scared ain' an excuse, but it's all I've got." Theoren elaborated. "I wasn' expectin' somethin' like dat to come outta your mouth an' it freaked me out to say de least. An' den I got to t'inkin' dat for all dose years you felt you couldn' trust even me an' dat hurt. An' as for bein' scared...yeah I was scared...scared of losin' de guy I'd grown up wit'." 

"What changed...?" 

"Tante Mattie scolded me an' made me realize I was bein' an idiot an' not t'inkin' straight. She helped me see dis whole t'ing from your eyes instead of my own an' I saw what a jerk I was. Claude...I'm sorry..." 

"Apology accepted, Theo. But can you tell me somethin'?" Claude asked. "Why were you scared of losin' me over dis? Here I was scared of losin' you...scared you'd hate me an' not want me to be around...all over de fact dat I'm gay." 

"You know me, C. I hate change. In spite of it bein' somethin' you've been dealin' wit' for years, it's new to de rest of us. It's change. I don' do change well. Remember when Remy joined de family? Oh lord...speakin' of Remy...have you...?" 

"My friendships wit' you an' de others are not gon' change jus' b'cause I'm gay, Theo. Like I said earlier when I told everyone, if dat ever happened, I'd leave." Claude reminded. "An' yeah I've spoken to Remy. I owed him quite de apology for de way I treated him over de years. It's all okay." 

"Okay." Theoren smiled. He was relieved that the conversation had gone as well as it did. He'd been scared Claude wouldn't accept his apology. His stomach growled. "Hey I'm hungry...let's go join de others, huh?" 

"Yeah." 

As the two friends walked, Theoren suddenly laughed. "So what's up wit' you an' Feef, anyway? Seems to me you got your own personal bodyguard or somethin'..." Seeing Claude's alarmed look, Theoren shook his head. "Tante Mattie told me he's bi. I'm jus' curious. I'll shut up if you want me to. But seriously, he seems awfully protective of you all of a sudden." 

Claude blushed and looked away. "It's okay. We're friends...wit' de possibility of somethin' else happenin'...it's still pretty soon, y'know?" 

"You like him don' you!" Theoren mockingly accused, noticing the fierce blush on Claude's cheeks. 

Claude turned and even deeper shade of red, if it was possible. "Yeah..." He admitted. "Have for a long time...never t'ought anythin' could be possible 'til de other night when he told me he's bi. I coulda danced on de moon when I heard dat news."   
  
"You t'ink somethin's gon' happen? I mean de way he didn' wan' leave you 'lone made me t'ink he likes you too, but still..." 

"I don' know. An' yeah he does, I guess. He likes spendin' time wit' me an' stuff...but for now we're jus' friends. An' for pity's sake, Theo, you sound like a teeanger." 

"'Ey, I admit to bein' as big a gossip as de women, jus' don' tell anybody." Theoren laughed. "An' don' worry, I won' go blabbin' anythin' to anybody 'bout dis if you don' want me to." 

"It would be nice to have somethin' more established b'fore de whole world finds out, yeah..." Claude joked. "Now hush up b'fore de others hear us." 

***** 

After supper, Fifolet cornered Claude in the upstairs hallway. Everyone else was in the living room, getting ready for another movie night. Claude had gone upstairs to get his video of "Pearl Harbour" from his room. He'd suggested it because the Assassins had never watched it and the Thieves loved it. Before he had a chance to get the movie, though, he was sidetracked by Fifolet, just outside his room. 

"Everythin' okay?" 

Claude laughed. "You really are my new personal bodyguard, aren' you? Not dat I mind...I could get used to it, actually. But to answer your question, t'ings couldn' be better. You were right." 

"Cool. I'm glad. I'd hate to see somethin' like dis break up your friendship wit' Theoren. You guys been friends too long for dat." Fifolet smiled. He leaned in closer, pinning Claude against the wall beside the door to the latter's bedroom and blocking any escape Claude might have thought of. 

Claude looked at him, a smile playing at his lips. "What's dis...?" 

"Curiosity's gettin' de better of me 'gain." Fifolet joked. 

"Oh...but..." Claude glanced down the hall, towards the stairs. "Dey..." 

"Shhh." Fifolet commanded in a low voice. He leaned in and caught Claude's lips with his in a slow, deep, tender, searching kiss that seemed to last forever. It didn't though, and when it finally ended, Fifolet smiled at Claude. "Dey coulda caught us in de library de other day too, but dey didn'." 

Claude blinked, a slight flush on his cheeks. "You're gon' drive me nuts doin' stuff like dat..." He complained lightly. He didn't really mean it; his head was spinning from the kiss and he couldn't think straight. 

"Do you mind?" Fifolet asked with a teasing smirk. 

"Did I say I minded it?" Claude retorted. 

"No..." 

"Well den." On a whim, Claude decided to give Fifolet a taste of his own medicine. He moved over to where Fifolet was and kissed his lips gently before pulling back and raising an eyebrow at the astonished look on Fifolet's face. "You started it. Now if you'll excuse me I'm gon' get de movie b'fore de others come lookin' for us." 

To Be Continued 


	7. Part Six: External Forces

Conflict of Interest   
Part Six: External Forces

Things went smoothly in the Guild safehouse for three months after Claude and Fifolet told the rest of their family their secrets. Day by day, their relationship grew a little stronger, but they were careful to take everything slowly. They were very comfortable with each other, and as time went by, the rest of the thieves and assassins became comfortable with it as well. And then one day, all hell broke loose. 

In spite of the unification of the two Guilds, they were still required to give tithes to Candra the External, the benefactress of both Guilds, every seven years. They knew this and were prepared for her arrival. They knew if angered, she could kill them all in a moment's notice and they always tried very hard to please her. That wasn't an easy task, given the circumstances. She was immortal and easily bored. Little did they realize she was going to be even harder to please this time around. 

The Guilds went to the usual tithing spot, a vacant area in the middle of a marshy forest outside New Orleans. Candra appeared shortly after they arrived, along with her cronie, the Tithe Collector, who somehow scared the Guild members more than the External herself did. 

"I am not pleased." Candra stated. "Not at all." 

Remy and Bella Donna, as patriarch and viceroy of the unified Guild, stepped forward, each of them holding a box. The tithes were in the boxes. Bella Donna suddenly got the impression the tithes weren't going to be enough this time. She sent a telepathic message out to the rest of Guild. _"I don' know what we did, but she ain' happy wit' us..."___

"That's right, Bella Donna. I'm not happy with you. I have never thought the unification was necessary, but I allowed it because it's written in the prophecies. One cannot deny prophecies. The seers knew more than I could ever hope to in regards to you people. However. I would like to know where in the prophecies it states that thieves and assassins are allowed to fraternize...?"   
  
That was said with a very pointed look at Fifolet and Claude, who cringed under her gaze. None of the Guild members had ever supposed Candra would object to the still new relationship between the two men. Both looked at Remy silently for help. They didn't know what else to do. 

Remy looked sharply at Candra. "Times are changin', Candra. De Guilds are changin' wit' de times. You've said yourself dat change is a good t'ing. Why retract dat statement now?" 

"Change is a good thing, yes, Remy. But how can you stand there and accept this radical a change?" 

"An assassin an' a thief..." Remy glanced at Bella Donna. "Hmm...now Bel, who does dat remind you of...? Candra here didn' seem to find anythin' wrong wit' our relationship...jus' what makes Claude an' Fifolet's relationship so diff'rent, I wonder...?" 

"SILENCE!" Candra yelled. "I will not condone any of this. If the relationship does not end...I will end it for them...permanently." 

"Now you jus' wait a second here, Candra. Dat's not fair." Bella Donna protested. "You've always said you want what's best for de Guilds, but yet you don' want any of us to be happy. If you really wanted what was best for us, you'd let us live our lives de way we choose an' not get in de way." 

"And that is the secret of my success, dear child." Candra laughed evilly. "I really don't want what is best for you, I never have. When you thought I cared, it was easy to get you to do what I wanted you to do. You have always been my cute little Cajun puppets, and I let you think you had control, but you really didn't. And now you know I am in control and nothing can stop me. If Claude and Fifolet do not wish to die tonight, they will end their relationship. I will return in one hour." 

***** 

"What are we gon' do?" Claude asked, a sick feeling in the pit of his stomach. 

"How can she do dat to us...?" Fifolet wanted to know. The two men were finally happy for the first time in their lives, and now they were being told they had to throw that happiness away just for the sake of keeping a crazy old woman from killing them? It made no sense and they hated it. 

"It ain' fair." The two complained in unison, looking at each other, fear and heartbreak mirrored in green and brown eyes. Nothing serious had happened between them yet, but that didn't stop them from caring for each other and depending on each other. They couldn't imagine living the rest of their lives without having the closeness they were building. 

"Okay you two, relax." Remy commanded, taking charge of the situation. "We have two choices here, as far as I can see. One, you guys can do what Candra wants you to do an' break up so she won' kill you. Or two, we can kill her an' end her reign over us once an' for all." 

"Uh...Remy? I hate to break it to ya, but she's an External...you know, immortal? She can' be killed!" Emil pointed out. 

"Oh yes she can, Emil. All creatures on this planet can be killed somehow, even Externals. Thanks to my friend Jean, I happen to know de way to kill Externals. We jus' have to find it." 

"Huh?" Bella Donna complained. "Remy dat made no sense." 

"We have to find her heart. An' b'lieve me it ain' in her body. If we find it an' destroy it, she will die." 

"Okay so where is it if it ain' in her body?" Gris-Gris wanted to know. 

"I don' know. Let me call Jean. If anybody can find out, it's her." 

***** 

While Remy called Jean on his cell phone and waited for her to give him an answer as to where Candra's heart was located, the rest of the Guild moved off, letting Fifolet and Claude have as much privacy as could be given in a swamp. 

"I don' wan' lose dis..." Fifolet said quietly. 

"Me neither." Claude agreed. "First time I've been really happy in my whole damned life an' suddenly...we can' let her win. I jus' hope we can stop her." 

"We can. An' if we can', den..." Fifolet looked into Claude's eyes, his own filled with emotion and conviction. "I'd rather die den give up what we're workin' for..." 

Claude smiled sadly at the assassin, a warmth filling his soul. "At least if she killed us, we'd always be together." 

Before the conversation went any further, Remy hung up the phone. "Okay everyone, I know where it is." 

"Where?" Theoren asked.   
  
"B'lieve it or not, Candra tried to pull a fast one on us. It's in her body. Jean said dat's not usually de case, but Candra tried to be sneaky. Figured we wouldn' look dere for it. So all we have to do is stab her in de heart an' dat'll be it. Any volunteers?" 

"We have to have a plan first, Rem." Mercy reminded. 

"Yes I know, an' I have one, but still..." 

Fifolet and Claude looked at each other and then back at Remy. "Remy...?" 

"No." Remy shook his head. "I t'ink you two are gon' be key players in de plan, but someone else has to do de actual job." 

"I'll do it." Gris-Gris said, his voice filled with venom. He was a hard-hearted man, but he was very glad his best friend was finding happiness and he would do whatever necessary to make sure that continued. Aside from that, he'd always hated Candra. 

"Okay, so here's what we're gon' do..." Remy said, lowering his voice. The Guild pulled in tight and listened to the plan. Once they had their parts down, all they had to do was wait for Candra to return and pray that it worked. 

***** 

Candra returned precisely when she said she would. "Well? What have we decided?" 

Remy and Bella Donna stepped forward again. "We're ready to continue wit' de tithin', Candra." Bel announced. 

"Not so fast, child." Candra looked directly at Claude and Fifolet. "I need their answer first." 

Both men were talented actors when the need arose, and played their parts perfectly. "We don' wan' die." Claude began. Fifolet finished for him. "We d'cided bein' alive was more important. So you' get what you want." 

Candra laughed triumphantly. Her guard was down and she had no idea what was really going on in the clearing that night. "Very well! Then the tithing will continue...wait..." 

"What is it Candra?" Remy asked. 

"You look like you're missin' somethin'." Theoren teased, right on cue. 

"Silence!" Candra looked at the group before her. "Where is Gris-Gris?" 

No sound was made as the stealthy assassin sneaked up on Candra from behind. As he shoved his sword through her heart, he spoke. "Right here." 

"You...tricked...me....!" Candra gasped. 

Claude laughed. "Damned right. You can' possibly b'lieve Fifolet an' I would give up our happiness jus' to keep you from goin' postal on us. You lose." 

With the fatal wound in her heart, Candra collapsed to the ground in a heap, her body disintigrating before their very eyes. Once she was out of the way for good, with nothing left of her body but a pile of ashes, Gris-Gris quicky beheaded the Tithe Collector, who had been as unaware as his mistress during the whole ordeal. 

"You know what dis means, don' you guys?" Remy asked the Guild as they walked through the swamp back to the city and their home.   
  
"Yeah..." Fifolet smiled at Claude. "It means we can finally be happy wit'out anyone tellin' us we're not allowed." 

"Not only dat. It also means de Guild is free. Candra no longer exists, which means she no longer controls our lives. We're free." 

"An' it's 'bout damn time too." Theoren said. "I was gettin' real sick of heedin' her beck an' call. Now we don' have to. An' if you t'ink 'bout it, we're free b'cause of Claude an' Feef. If it wasn' for dem, she wouldn' have freaked out an' we wouldn' have needed to kill her." 

"Guess you could say you guys are heroes." Questa joked. "Go figure, huh?" 

"Nothin' so unreal 'bout dat, Questa." Claude said. 

"No, there isn't." Zoe said. "Freedom and love are two things that people fight and die for everyday, all over the world. It just makes the guys that much more special and less different." 

"But we didn' do anythin'..." Fifolet and Claude protested in unison. 

"Maybe not...but you would have." Zoe amended. 

To Be Continued 

  



	8. Epilogue: Sweet Dreams are Made of This

Conflict of Interest   
Epilogue: Sweet Dreams are Made of This

Late that night, Fifolet slipped into Claude's room, shadowed in the darkness. He had done this a few times before; his intangibility made it easy to come and go without being noticed. But he always made sure he never lied to Claude either. Claude knew he visited him and didn't seem to be concerned about it. 

Fifolet wasn't entirely sure why he liked doing it. Claude was always asleep when he went, so it wasn't for the conversation. He just found he liked watching Claude sleep. The thief seemed innocent and peaceful in slumber, and watching him put Fifolet's mind and soul at ease, especially after a particularly tiring or troublesome day. The night after Candra's death was no exception. Watching Claude calmed Fifolet down as it always did. 

_"I wonder what he dreams 'bout?"_ Fifolet thought. He made a mental note to ask Claude sometime. Fifolet thought dreams were fascinating. His own were never that appealing to him until recently, when Claude started showing up in his dreams. He wondered if he was a key figure in Claude's dreams as well. It was a curious thought. 

Unlike every other night when he visited Claude's room, Fifolet decided to be different that night. He watched Claude for awhile and then made his decision. He silently walked over and sat on the bed, smiling lovingly at the sleeping thief. Then he leaned over and kissed Claude's lips tenderly. Claude woke up part way through the kiss and returned it sleepily but willingly, his body becoming more alive with each passing second. As with most of their kisses lately, this one became deeper and more intense as the moments went by and when they finally broke it, neither of them could breathe properly. 

"If I remember correctly, mon amour, you don' usually wake me up..." Claude commented. 

"True. But tonight's diff'rent. After what happened today, I...well..." 

Claude nodded. "Yeah....I know. You wan' stay?" 

"You want me to?" Fifolet asked. 

"Not like dere ain' enough room."  
  
"Okay. Dat'd be...nice." 

It wasn't an invitation for anything other than what it sounded like. They weren't ready for that yet, and they knew it. They just wanted to spend the night together, taking comfort in each other's presence and cherishing the fact that they'd come out on top against a force that could have killed them in a heartbeat had she been so inclined. 

Fifolet joined Claude in the bed. It was the first time they had shared a bed, but they weren't uncomfortable with the idea. It was too late at night and they were too tired to be uncomfortable. After one more tender, loving kiss, they curled up together, Fifolet with his arms wrapped protectively around Claude, and fell asleep, peaceful and happy. They stayed like that until morning, when Tante Mattie, who had looked in Fifolet's room and found it empty, came to check on Claude. 

Finding them there together, and instinctively knowing nothing more had happened, she let them sleep, closing door gently on her way out and smiling over their contentment. Finally someone in the Guild was happy. 

The End 


End file.
